Systems and method for storing, delivering, and managing messages

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods provide for receiving one or more user-selected preferences at a network server from a user&#39;s client device and creating a mark-up language file that is customized according to the user-selected preferences. The mark-up language file is transmitted from the network server to the user&#39;s client device via a packet switched network using an Internet protocol.

This application is a continuation-in-part of patent application Ser.No. 08/431,716, filed Apr. 28, 1995.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to system(s) and method(s) for storing anddelivering messages and, more particularly, to system(s) and method(s)for storing messages and for delivery the messages through a network,such as the Internet, or a telephone line to an intended recipient. Inanother aspect, the invention relates to system(s) and method(s) forstoring, delivering, and managing messages or other files, such as forarchival purposes or for document tracking.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Even though the facsimile machine is heavily relied upon by businessesof all sizes and is quickly becoming a standard piece of officeequipment many businesses or households cannot receive the benefits ofthe facsimile machine. Unfortunately, for a small business or for aprivate household, a facsimile machine is a rather expensive piece ofequipment. In addition to the cost of purchasing the facsimile machine,the facsimile machine also requires toner, paper, maintenance, as wellas possible repairs. These expenses may be large enough to prevent manyof the small businesses and certainly many households from benefitingfrom the service that the facsimile machine can provide. For others whoare constantly traveling and who do not have an office, it may beimpractical to own a facsimile machine. In fact, the Atlanta BusinessChronicle estimates that 30% of the small businesses do not have anyfacsimile machines. Therefore, many businesses and households are at adisadvantage since they do not have access to a facsimile machine.

Because a facsimile machine can be such an asset to a company and isheavily relied upon to quickly transmit and receive documents, a problemexists in that the machines are not always available to receive afacsimile message. At times, a facsimile machine may be busy receivinganother message or the machine may be transmitting a message of its own.During these times, a person must periodically attempt to send themessage until communication is established with the desired facsimilemachine. This inability to connect with a facsimile machine can befrustrating, can consume quite a bit of the persons time, and preventthe person from performing more productive tasks, While some moreadvanced facsimile machines will retry to establish communication anumber of times, a person will still have to check on the facsimilemachine to ensure that the message was transmitted or to re-initiate thetransmission of the message.

In addition to labor costs and a reduction in office efficiency, afacsimile machine may present costs to businesses that are not readilycalculated. These costs include the loss of business or the loss ofgoodwill that occurs when the facsimile machine is not accessible byanother facsimile machine. These costs can occur for various reasons,such as when the facsimile machine is out of paper, when the machineneeds repairing, or when the facsimile machine is busy with anothermessage. These costs occur more frequently with some of the smallerbusinesses, who are also less able to incur these expenses, since manyof them have a single phone line for a telephone handset and thefacsimile machine and thereby stand to lose both telephone calls andfacsimile messages when the single line is busy. In fact, the AtlantaBusiness Chronicle estimated that fewer than 5% of the small businesseshave 2 or more facsimile machines. Many of the larger companies canreduce these losses by having more than one facsimile machine and byhaving calls switched to another machine when one of the machines isbusy. These losses, however, cannot be completely eliminated since themachines can still experience a demand which exceeds their capabilities.

A main benefit of the facsimile machine, namely the quick transfer ofdocuments, does not necessarily mean that the documents will quickly berouted to the intended recipient. The facsimile machines may beunattended and a received facsimile message may not be is noticed untila relatively long period of time has elapsed. Further, even for thosemachines which are under constant supervision, the routing proceduresestablished in an office may delay the delivery of the documents, It istherefore a problem in many offices to quickly route the facsimilemessage to the intended recipient.

The nature of the facsimile message also renders it difficult for theintended recipient to receive a sensitive message without having themessage exposed to others in the office who can intercept and read themessage. If the intended recipient is unaware that the message is beingsent, other people may see the message while it is being delivered orwhile the message remains next to the machine. When the intendedrecipient is given notice that a sensitive message is being transmitted,the intended recipient must wait near the facsimile machine until themessage is received. It was therefore difficult to maintain the contentsof a facsimile message confidential.

In an office with a large number of employee, it may also be difficultto simply determine where the facsimile message should be routed. Inlight of this difficulty, some systems have been developed toautomatically route facsimile messages to their intended recipient. Onetype of system, such as the one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,112 toOkada, can route an incoming call to a particular facsimile machinebased upon codes entered with telephone push-buttons by the sender ofthe message. Another type of system, such as the one disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,115,326 to Burgess et al. or in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,591 toBaran, requires the sender to use a specially formatted cover page whichis read by the system. This type of system, however, burdens the sender,who may very well be a client or customer, by requiring the sender totake special steps or additional steps to transmit a facsimile message.These systems are therefore not very effective or desirable.

Another type of routing system links a facsimile machine to a Local AreaNetwork (LAN) in an office. For instance, in the systems disclosed inthe patents to Baran and Burgess et al., after the system reads thecover sheet to determine the intended recipient of the facsimilemessage, the systems send an E-mail message to the recipient through thelocal network connecting the facsimile machine to the recipient'scomputer. Other office systems, such as those in U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,790to Silverberg and U.S. Pat. No. 5,291,546 to Giler et al., are linked tothe office's voice mail system and may leave a message with the intendedrecipient that a facsimile message has been received. Some systems whichare even more advanced such as those in U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,628 toMisholi et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,266 to Boaz et al., are connectedto an office's local network and provide integrated control of voicemessages, E-mail messages, and facsimile messages.

The various systems for routing facsimile messages, and possiblymessages of other types received in the office, are very sophisticatedand expensive systems. While these office systems are desirable in thatthey can effectively route the messages at the office to their intendedrecipients, the systems are extremely expensive and only those companieswith a great number of employees can offset the costs of the system withthe benefits that the system will provide to their company. Thus, formost businesses, it still remains a problem to effectively and quicklyroute messages to the intended recipients. It also remains a problem formost businesses to route the messages in a manner which can preserve theconfidential nature of the messages.

Even for the businesses that have a message routing system andespecially for those that do not have any type of system, it is usuallydifficult for a person to retrieve facsimile messages while away fromthe office. Typically, a person away on business must call into theoffice and be informed by someone in the office as to the facsimilemessages that have been received. Consequently, the person must callinto the office during normal business hours while someone is in theoffice and is therefore limited in the time that the information in afacsimile message can be relayed.

If the person away on business wants to look at the facsimile message,someone at the office must resend the message to a facsimile machineaccessible to that person. Since this accessible machine is often afacsimile machine at another business or at a hotel where the person islodging, it is difficult for the person to receive the facsimile messagewithout risking disclosure of its contents. Further, since someone atthe person's office must remember to send the message and since someoneat the accessible facsimile machine must route the message to the personaway from the office, the person may not receive all of the facsimilemessages or may have to wait to receive the messages.

The retrieval of facsimile messages, as well as voice mail messages,while away from the office is not without certain costs. For one, theperson often must incur long distance telephone charges when the personcalls the office to check on the messages and to have someone in theoffice send the messages to another facsimile. The person will thenincur the expenses of transmitting the message to a fax bureau or hoteldesk as well as the receiving location's own charges for use of theirequipment. While these charges are certainly not substantial, thecharges are nonetheless expenses incurred while the person is away fromthe office.

Overall, while the facsimile machine is an indispensable piece ofequipment for many businesses, the facsimile machine presents a numberof problems or costs. Many businesses or households are disadvantagedsince they are unable to reap the benefits of the facsimile machine. Forthe businesses that do have facsimile machines, the businesses mustincur the normal costs of operating the facsimile machine in addition tothe costs that may be incurred when the facsimile machine or machinesare unable to receive a message. Further, the facsimile messages may notbe efficiently or reliably routed to the intended recipient and may haveits contents revealed during the routing process. The costs and problemsin routing a facsimile message are compounded when the intendedrecipient is away from the office.

Many of the problems associated with facsimile messages are not uniqueto just facsimile messages but are also associated with voice mailmessages and data messages. With regard to voice messages, manybusinesses do not have voice mail systems and must write the messagedown. Thus, the person away from the office must call in during normaloffice hours to discover who has called. The information in thesemessages are usually limited to just the person who called, theirnumber, and perhaps some indication as to the nature of the call. Forthose businesses that have voice mail, the person away from the officemust call in and frequently incur long distance charges. Thus, there isa need for a system for storing and delivery voice messages which can beeasily and inexpensively accessed at any time.

With regard to data messages, the transmission of the message oftenrequires some coordination between the sender and the recipient. Forinstance, the recipients computer must be turned on to receive themessage, which usually occurs only when someone is present during normaloffice hours. Consequently, the recipients computer is usually only ableto receive a data message during normal office hours. Many householdsand also businesses may not have a dedicated data line and must switchthe line between the phone, computer, and facsimile. In such asituation, the sender must call and inform the recipient to switch theline over to the computer and might have to wait until the sender canreceive the message. The retransmission of the data message to anotherlocation, such as when someone is away from the office, only furthercomplicates the delivery. It is therefore frequently difficult totransmit and receive data messages and is also difficult to later relaythe messages to another location.

A standard business practice of many companies is to maintain records ofall correspondence between itself and other entities. Traditionally, thecorrespondence that has been tracked and recorded includes letters orother such printed materials that is mailed to or from a company to theother entity. Although tracking correspondence of printed materials isrelatively easy, non-traditional correspondence, such as facsimilemessages, e-mail messages, voice messages, or data messages, are moredifficult to track and record.

For example, facsimile messages may be difficult to track and recordsince the messages may be received on thermal papers which suffers froma disadvantage that the printing fades over time. Also, accuratetracking of facsimile messages is difficult since the facsimile messagesmay only be partially printed at the facsimile machine or the messagesmay be lost or only partially delivered to their intended recipients.Facsimile messages also present difficulties since they are oftendelivered within an organization through different channels thanordinary mail and thus easily fall outside the normal record keepingprocedures of the company.

Voice mail messages are also difficult to track and record. Althoughvoice messages can be saved, many voice mil servers automatically deletethe messages after a certain period of time. To maintain a permanentrecord of a voice message, the voice message may be transcribed and aprinted copy of the message may be kept in the records. This transcribedcopy of the voice message, however, is less credible and thus lessdesirable than the original voice message since the transcribed copy mayhave altered material or may omit certain portions of the message.

In addition to facsimile and voice mail messages, data messages are alsodifficult to track and record. A download or upload of a file may onlybe evident by the existence of a is file itself. A file transferprocedure normally does not lend itself to any permanent record of whatfile was transferred, the dialed telephone number, the telephone numberof the computer receiving the file, the time, or the date of thetransfer. It is therefore difficult to maintain accurate records of alldata transfers between itself and another entity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to reliably and efficiently routemessages to an intended recipient.

It is another object of the invention to route messages to the intendedrecipient while maintaining the contents of the message confidential.

It is another object of the invention to enable the intended recipientto access the messages easily and with minimal costs.

It is a further object of the invention to permit the simultaneousreceipt of more than one message on behalf of the intended recipient.

It is a further object of the invention to enable the intended recipientof a message to access the message at any time and at virtually anylocation world-wide.

It is yet a further object of the invention to enable the intendedrecipient of a message to browse through the received messages.

It is yet a further object of the invention to quickly notify anintended recipient that a message has been received.

It is still another object of the invention to receive messages ofvarious types.

It is still another object of the invention to deliver messagesaccording to the preferences of the intended recipient.

It is still a further object of the invention to record and trackcorrespondence, such as facsimile messages, voice mail messages, anddata transfers.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention willbe set forth in the description which follows, and will become apparentto those skilled in the art upon reading this description or practicingthe invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the appended claims.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects, in accordance with thepresent invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a systemand method for storing and delivering messages involves receiving anincoming call and detecting an address signal associated with theincoming call, the address signal being associated with a user of themessage storage and delivery system. A message accompanied with theaddress signal is then received and converted from a first file formatto a second file format. The message is stored in the second file formatwithin a storage area and is retrieved after a request has been receivedfrom the user. At least a portion of the message is then transmitted tothe user over a network with the second file format being a mixed mediapage layout language.

In another aspect a network message storage and delivery systemcomprises a central processor for receiving an incoming call, fordetecting an address signal on the incoming call, for detecting amessage on the incoming call, and for placing the message in a storagearea. The address signal on the incoming call is associated with a userof the network message storage and delivery system. A network serverreceives the message from the storage area, converts the message into amixed media page layout language, and places the message in the storagearea. When the network server receives a request from the user over thenetwork, the network server transmits at least a portion of the messageover the network to the user.

Preferably, the network storage and delivery system can receivefacsimile messages, data messages, or voice messages and the network isthe Internet. The messages are converted into a standard generalizedmark-up language and the user is notified that a message has arrivedthrough E-mail or through a paging system. A listing of the facsimilemessages may be sent to the user in one of several formats. Theseformats include a textual only listing or a listing along with a full orreduced size image of the first page of each message. A full or reducedsize image of each page of a message in the listing may alternatively bepresented to the user.

According to a further aspect, the invention relates to a system andmethod for managing files or messages and involves storing messagesignals in storage and receiving requests from a user for a search. Thesearch preferably comprises a search query that is completed by a userand supplied to a hyper-text transfer protocol daemon (HTTDP) in thesystem. The HTTPD transfers the request through a common gatewayinterface (CGI) to an application program which conducts the search. Theresults of the search are preferably returned through the HTTPD to thecomputer in the form of a listing of all messages or files satisfyingthe search parameters. The user may then select one or more of thelisted messages or files and may save the search for later references.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in, and form a partof, the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the present inventionand, together with the description, serve to explain the principles ofthe invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the connections of a messagestorage and delivery system MSDS;

FIG. 2 is an overall flow chart of operations for transmitting a messageto the MSDS of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an overall flow chart of operations for receiving a messagestored at the MSDS of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4(A) and (B) are flowcharts of operations for generating HTMLfiles according to user preferences;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operations for generating requestedinformation;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of operations for converting a facsimile messageinto HTML files;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary display of a first page of a facsimile messageaccording to a fourth display option;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of operations for converting a voice message intoan HTML file;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of operations for converting a data message intoan HTML file;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of operations for detecting a type of callreceived at the MSDS 10;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of operations for receiving voice messages;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of operations for interacting with an owner'scall;

FIG. 13 is a more detailed block diagram of the MSDS 10;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of the central processor in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of the Internet Server of FIG. 13;

FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B) depict possible software layers for the InternetServer of FIG. 13;

FIG. 17 is a diagram of a data entry for a message signal;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a process for sending a search query, forconducting a search, and for returning results of the search to acomputer through the Internet;

FIG. 19 is an example of a search query form for defining a desiredsearch;

FIG. 20 is an example of a completed search query;

FIG. 21 is an example of a set of search results returned to thecomputer in response to the search query of FIG. 20; and

FIG. 22 is an example of a listing of stored searches.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

With reference to FIG. 1, a message storage and delivery system (MSDS)10 is connected to a central office 20 of the telephone company throughat least one direct inward dialing (DID) trunk 15. With each call on theDID trunk 15, an address signal indicating the telephone number beingcalled is provided to the MSDS 10. The DID trunk 15 can carry a largenumber of telephone numbers or addresses. Preferably, the DID trunk 15comprises a number of DID trunks 15 connected in parallel between thecentral office 20 and the MSDS 10 so that the MSDS 10 can simultaneouslyreceive more than one call and, moreover, can simultaneously receivemore than one call for a single telephone number or address.

The central office 20 is connected to a number of third parties. Forinstance, the central office 20 may be connected to a facsimile machine24, a telephone set 26, and to a computer 28 with each connection beingmade through a separate telephone line. While a single computer 28 isshown in the figure, the single computer 28 may actually represent alocal area network which is connected through the central office 20 tothe MSDS 10. Although the facsimile machine 24, telephone set 26, andcomputer 28 have been shown on separate lines, it should be understoodthat one or more of these devices could share a single line.

The MSDS 10 is also connected to a network, preferably the InternetWorld Wide Web 30. Although the Internet 30 has been shown as a singleentity, it should be understood that the Internet 30 is actually aconglomeration of computer networks and is a constantly evolving andchanging structure. The MSDS 10 therefore is not limited to the currentstructure or form of the Internet 30 but encompasses any future changesor additions to the Internet 30. Further, the MSDS 10 is shown as beingdirectly connected to the Internet 30, such as through its own node orportal. The MSDS 10, however, may be practiced with any suitableconnection to the Internet 30, such as through an intermediate Internetaccess provider.

With reference to FIG. 2 depicting an overall operation of theinvention, a telephone call directed to a number serviced by the MSDS 10is initiated at step 40 by a third party, for instance, through thefacsimile machine 24, telephone set 26, or computer 28. The incomingtelephone call may therefore carry a facsimile message, a voice message,or a data message. At step 42, the address signal associated with theinitiated call is routed through the central office 20, over the DIDtrunk 15, and to the MSDS 10.

When the call reaches the MSDS 10, the call is routed within the MSDS 10in a manner that will be described in more detail below with referenceto FIG. 13. At step 46, the MSDS 10 answers the telephone call andreceives the address signal from the DID trunk 15. Next, at step 48, thecall is established between the MSDS 10 and the third party and, at step50, the MSDS 10 receives the message transmitted over the telephoneline. The message is stored at step 52, a database within the MSDS 10 isupdated at step 54, and the intended recipient of the message isnotified at step 56. The intended recipient of the message uses theservices provided by the MSDS 10 and will hereinafter be referred to asa user. At step 58, the message is converted into hyper-text mark-uplanguage (HTML).

After the MSDS 10 receives a message for one of its users, the user canthen communicate with the MSDS 10 at any time and at any location byconnecting to the Internet World Wide Web 30 and retrieving the messagestored within the MSDS 10. With reference to FIG. 3, at step 60 the userfirst connects to the Internet 30, such as through a personal computer32 which may be connected to the Internet 30 in any suitable manner,such as through its own portal or node or through some intermediateaccess provider. The personal computer 32 is not limited to a singlecomputer but may instead comprise a network of computers, such as alocal area network within an office.

Once connected with the Internet 30, at step 62, the user accesses witha hyper-text browser the Universal Resource Locator (URL) associatedwith his or her MSDS 10 mailbox. The computer 32 may use any suitablehypertext browser, such as Netscape, to access the mailbox. A HypertextTransfer Protocol Daemon (HTTPD) within the MSDS 10 receives the URLrequest at step 64 and, at step 66, requests user authentication. Theuser then supplies his or her ID and password at step 68 and, if foundvalid at step 70, the MSDS 10 provides the computer 32 with access tothe mailbox at step 72. If the ID and password are invalid, asdetermined at step 70, then the HTTPD sends the computer 32 anauthentication failure message at step 74.

After the user gains access to the mailbox at step 72, the user canrequest information stored within the MSDS 10. The MSDS 10 receives therequest at step 76 and, at step 78, determines whether the informationexists. As is common practice, the MSDS 10 also determines the validityof the request at step 78. The request from the user will include themailbox number for the user, the message identifier, displaypreferences, and, if the message is a facsimile message, a pageidentifier. If for any reason the request is invalid, such as when ahacker is attempting to gain access to privileged information, therequest for the information will be terminated.

If the requested information is available, then at step 80 theinformation is transmitted through the Internet 30 to the user'scomputer 32. If, on the other hand, the information does not exist, thenat step 82 the MSDS 10 will generate the requested information and thensend the information to the user's computer through the Internet 30 atstep 80.

Prior to gaining access to the mailbox at step 72, the user ispreferably sent a greeting page or other such type of information whichpermits the user to team about the services provided by the MSDS 10,open an account with the MSDS 10, or gain access to an account. Onceaccess is provided at step 72, the user is provided with informationindicating the total number of messages stored in his or her mailboxwithin the MSDS 10. Preferably, the information sent by the MSDS 10indicates the total number of messages for each type of message and alsothe total number of saved messages versus the total number of newmessages.

The user is also preferably given the option at this step to changeaccount information. The account information might include the E-mailaddress for the user, the manner in which messages are to be reviewed,the user's pager information, as well as other user preferences. Thedisplay options and other user preferences will be discussed in furtherdetail below.

The general information HTML file which indicates the total number ofdifferent messages is provided with a number of anchors, which are alsotermed links or references. In general, an anchor permits a user on thecomputer 32 to retrieve information located on another file. Forinstance, an anchor to a listing of facsimile messages is preferablyprovided on the display of the total number of messages. When the userselects the anchor for the facsimile list, the MSDS 10 pulls up anddisplays the file containing the list of facsimiles, such as a file“faxlist.html” The other types of messages, such as voice messages anddata messages, would have similar anchors on the general informationpage directed to their respective HTML listing files.

When a new message is received at step 54 in FIG. 2, the users mailboxis updated to display the total number and types of messages. The MSDS10 might also update other files in addition to the total listing ofmessages. Additionally, at this time, the MSDS 10 sends an E-mailmessage to the user's computer 32 to inform the user of the newlyarrived message. The MSDS 10 could also send notice to the user though apaging system so that the user receives almost instantaneous notice thata message is received.

The MSDS 10 also generates additional information according to theuser's preferences. These preferences on how the MSDS 10 is configuredfor the user include options on how the messages are reviewed. Withfacsimile messages, for instance, the user can vary the amount or thetype of information that will be supplied with the listing of thefacsimile messages by selecting an appropriate option. Other options arealso available so that the user can custom fit the MSDS 10 to the usersown computer 32 or own personal preferences.

For instance, when a facsimile message is received, the MSDS 10, at step54, will update the total listing of all messages to indicate the newlyreceived message and may additionally generate the HTML files for thenewly received facsimile message according to the user's preferences.When the user later requests information on the message at step 76, theHTML information has already been generated and the MSDS 10 may directlysend the requested information to the user at step 80. If, on the otherhand, the user desires to view the message according to one of the otheroptions, the MSDS 10 will generate the HTML files at step 82 accordingto that other option at the time of the request.

A first option available to the user for viewing a facsimile message isa textual only listing of the messages. The information on the textuallisting preferably includes the date and time that the message wasreceived at the MSDS 10, the telephone number from where the message wastransmitted, the number of pages, the page size, and the size of themessage in bytes. The messages, of course, could be listed with otheryes of information. When the user selects one of the facsimile messageson the list, a request is sent to the HTTPD within the MSDS 10 causingthe message to be downloaded via the Internet 30 to the user's computer32. Once the message is received by the computer 32, the message can bedisplayed, printed, or saved for further review.

The second through fifth options allow the user to preview an image ofthe facsimile message before having the message downloaded from the MSDS10 through the Internet 30 and to the computer 32. The second optionpermits the user to view the list of messages with a reduced size imageof the cover page next to each entry on the list. When the user selectsone of the messages on the list, the selected facsimile message istransmitted through the Internet 30 to the computer 32. The user mayalso scroll through the listings if all of the message cannot bedisplayed at one time on the computer 32.

The third option provides the user with a full size view of the coverpage of each facsimile message. The user can quickly scroll through thecover pages of each message without downloading the entire message tothe computer 32. The full size view of the cover pages permit the userto clearly discern any comments that may be placed on the cover page,which may not be possible from just a reduced image of the cover pageavailable through the second option.

The fourth option provides the user with a reduced size image of eachpage and permits the user to scroll through the entire message. The usercan therefore read the entire facsimile message on screen before themessage is downloaded onto the computer 32. With this option, the usercan go through the pages of the facsimile message and can also skip tothe next message or previous message. Additionally, the user has theoption of enlarging a page to a full size view of the page. Then one ofthe messages is selected, as with the other options, the HTTPD withinthe MSDS 10 causes the facsimile message to be transmitted through theInternet 30 to the user's computer 32.

With a fifth option, a full size image of each page is transmitted tothe user's computer 32. The user can scroll though the pages of thefacsimile message and easily read the contents of each page. If the userwants the message downloaded to the computer 32, the user select themessage and the HTTPD within the MSDS 10 transmits the message to theuser's computer 32 through the Internet 30.

As discussed above, after the database is updated at step 54, the MSDS10 will generate additional information based upon the option selectedfor displaying the facsimile messages. More specifically, as shown inFIG. 4(A), if the first option has been selected, as determined at step100, then at step 102 the MSDS 10 will generate the textual listing ofthe facsimile messages with anchors or references to the respectivefacsimile files. The HTML files are then moved to an Internet Server atstep 104.

If the first option is not selected, the MSDS 10 next determines whetherthe second option has been selected at step 106. With the second option,the facsimile messages are listed along with a reduced size image of thecover page. To generate this information, the cover page is extractedfrom the facsimile file at step 108 and a reduced size HTML image of thecover page is created at step 110. At step 112, a listing of thefacsimile messages is generated with a thumbnail view of each cover pagelinked to its respective facsimile file. The generated HTML files arethen sent to the Internet Server at step 104.

When the third option is selected, as determined at step 114, a fullsize image of the cover page is sent to the computer 32. The full sizeimage of the cover page is generated by first extracting the cover pagefrom the facsimile file at step 116. Next, the cover page is convertedinto a full size HTML image at step 118 and, at step 120, the listing isgenerated with the embedded cover page linked to the facsimile file.

If, at step 122, the fourth option is determined to be selectee then areduced size image of each page is provided to the user with the optionof enlarging the page to view the contents of the page more clearly.With reference to FIG. 4(B), the information necessary for the thirdoption is produced by first extracting the first page of the facsimilemessage at step 124. A reduced size HTML image is created at step 126and then a full size HTML image is created at step 128. At step 130, thelisting is generated with embedded thumbnail images of the pages withlinks to the full size images. If the page is not the last page, asdetermined at step 140, then the next page is extracted at step 142 andsteps 126 to 130 are repeated to generate the HTML files for the otherpages of the facsimile message. After the last page has been convertedinto an HTML file according to the third option, the files are movedonto the Internet Server at step 104.

At step 144, the MSDS 10 determines whether the fifth option has beenselected. The fifth option provides the user with a full size image ofeach page of the facsimile message. While only five options have beendiscussed, the invention may be practiced with additional options.Consequently, with additional options and with the fourth option notbeing selected, the MSDS 10 would next determine whether one of theadditional options have been selected. With the preferred embodiment ofthe invention having only five options, however, the MSDS 10 will assumethat the fifth option has been selected if none of the first fouroptions were found to be selected.

The information necessary to display the pages of the facsimile messageaccording to the fifth option is generated by first extracting the firstpage of the facsimile message at step 146. At step 148, a full size HTMLimage of the page is created and, at step 150, a listing is generatedwith an embedded image and links to previous and next pages. When thepage is not the last page, as determined at step 152, the MSDS 10extracts the next page and generates the HTML file for that page. Afterall pages have been converted into HTML files according to the fourthoption, the files are sent to the Internet Server at step 104.

While FIGS. 4(A) and (B) describe the operations of the MSDS 10 at thetime a message is received, FIG. 5 depicts an overall flowchart ofoperations for the MSDS 10 when the user requests a page of informationin a display format other than the user's preferred option of displayingthe message. FIG. 5 is therefore a more detailed explanation of how theMSDS 10 generates the necessary information at step 82 of FIG. 3.

In general, as shown in FIG. 5, the MSDS 10 first determines the type ofimage that is needed at step 82 a. For example, at this step, the MSDS10 will determine whether images are unnecessary, whether an image ofjust the cover page is necessary, whether an image is needed for everypage, and whether the image needs to be a full size a reduced size, orboth full and reduced sized images. At step 82 b, the MSDS 10 determineswhether the image has already been created. If the image has not beencreated, then at step 82 c the MSDS 10 will extract the page from thebase facsimile file and, at step 82 d, generate the required HTML image.As discussed above, the required image may be for just the cover page,for all the pages, and may be a full size and/or a reduced size image ofthe page. At step 82 e, the image is embedded with links or anchors toother HTML files. The links or anchors might be references to the nextand previous pages and also to the next and previous facsimile messages.Finally, the HTML file having the embedded image and links is sent tothe user at step 80 in FIG. 3.

The process for converting a facsimile message into HTML files accordingto the fifth option will be described with reference to FIG. 6. Thisprocess will occur at step 54 when the message is received and when thefifth option is the users preferred option of displaying the messages.It should be understood that a similar type of process will also occurwhen the user requests a page of information according to the fifthoption when the user is retrieving a facsimile message and the fifthoption is not the user's preferred option. The conversion processesaccording to the other options will become apparent to those skilled inthe art and will therefore not be discussed in further detail.

With reference to FIG. 6, when the facsimile message is received, themessage is in a Tagged Image File Format/facsimile (TIFF/F) and eachpage of the facsimile message is split into a separate file. Each pageof the facsimile message is then converted from the TIFF/F format into aPortable Pixel Map (PPM) format. The PPM files are next converted intoseparate Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) files and then into separateHTML files. Thus, each page of the facsimile message is converted into aseparate HTML file. The TIFF/F files may be converted into PPM with anavailable software package entitled “LIBTIFF” and the PPM files may beconverted into GIF files with an available software package found in“Portable Pixel Map Tools.”

The invention is not limited to this exact conversion process or to theparticular software packages used in the conversion process. Forinstance, the TIFF/F files may be converted into another portable fileformat, through any other type of intermediate format, or may beconverted directly into the GIF format. Further, instead of GIF, thefacsimile messages may be converted into JPEG, BMP, PCX, PIF, PNG, orany other suitable type of file format.

The files may be identified with any suitable filename. In the preferredembodiment, the files for each user are stored in a separate directoryassigned to just that one user because an entire directory for a givenuser generally can be protected easier than the individual files. Thememory, however, may be organized in other ways with the files for asingle user being stored in different directories. The first part of thefilename is a number preferably sequentially determined according to theorder in which messages arrive for that user. The preferred namingconvention for ending the filenames is depicted in FIG. 6. Each page ofthe facsimile message is saved as a separate file with an extensiondefined by the format of the file. Thus, the files will end with anextension of “.TIFF,” “.PPM,” “.GIF,” or “.HTML” according to the formatof the particular file. In the example shown, the separate pages havefilenames which end with the respective page number, for instance, thefirst page ends with a “1.” The files, however, are preferablyterminated with a letter or multiples letters to indicate the order ofthe pages. For instance, page 1 might have an ending of “aa,” page 2might have an ending of “ab,” etc. The invention, however, is notlimited to the disclosed naming convention but encompasses otherconventions that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

As shown in FIG. 6, in addition to the GIF files representing the pagesof the facsimile message, the HTML files include a number of anchors orreferences. In the example shown, the first HTML file has an anchor afor the “Next Page.” Anchor a is defined as a=<A HREF=“2.html”>NextPage</a> and will therefore reference the second HTML file when a userselects the “Next Page.” The second HTML file has an anchor b for the“Previous Page” and an anchor c for the “Next Page” and the third HTMLfile has an anchor d for the “Previous Page.” With these particular HTMLfiles, the user can scroll through each page of the facsimile messageand view a full size image of the page.

Each HTML file preferably contains anchors in addition to those relatingto “Next Page” and “Previous Page.” For instance, each HTML file maycontain an anchor to the next facsimile message, an anchor to theprevious facsimile message, and an anchor to return to the facsimilelist. The HTML files preferably contain anchors relating to “Save” and“Delete.” When the “Save” anchor is selected, the user would be able tosave the message under a more descriptive name for the message. The“Delete” anchor is preferably followed by a inquiry as to whether theuser is certain that he or she wants to delete the message. Otheranchors, such as an anchor to the general listing, will be apparent tothose skilled in the art and may also be provided.

FIG. 7 provides an example of a display according to the fifth optionfor the first page of the facsimile message shown in FIG. 6. Theheadings of the display provide information on the telephone number fromwhere the message was sent, the date and time the message was receivedat the MSDS 10, and an indication of the page of the message beingdisplayed. The main portion of the display is the full site image of thepage. At the bottom of the display, an anchor or link is provided to the“Next Page” and another anchor is provided to the “Return to FaxListing.” Additional information may also be provided on the display,such as a link to a company operating the MSDS 10.

An example of the “1.html” file for generating the display shown in FIG.7 is shown below in Table 1. TABLE 1 <HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Fax Receivedon May 31, 1995 at 1:58 PM from (404) 249 6801; Page 1 of 3</TITLE></HEAD> <BODY> <H1>Fax from (404) 249-6801</H1> <H2>Received on May 31,1995 at 1:58 PM</H2> <H2>Page 1 of 3</H2> <IMG SRC=“1.gif”> <P> <AHREF=“2.html”>Next Page</a> <HR> <A HREF=“faxlist.html”>Return to FaxListing</A> <P> This page was automatically generated by FaxWeb(tm) onMay 31, 1995 at 2:05 PM. <P> &copy; 1995 NetOffice, Inc. <HR> <Address><A HREF=“http://www.netoffice.com/”>NetOffice, Inc.</A><BR> PO Box7115<BR> Atlanta, GA 30357<BR> <AHREF=“mailto:info@netoffice.com”>info@netoffice.com</A> </Address></BODY> </HTML>As is apparent from the listing in Table 1, the image file “1.gif” forthe first page is embedded into the HTML file “1.html.” Also apparentfrom the listing is that the anchor for “Next Page” directs the MSDS 10to the second page of the facsimile message having the filename “2.html”and the anchor for “Return to Fax Listing” directs the MSDS 10 to thefilename “faxlist.html” containing the list of facsimile messages.

A process for converting a voice message into an HTML file isillustrated in FIG. 8. The voice message is originally stored in a VOXformat or an AD/PCM format and is retrieved at step 170. The voicemessage is then converted either into an AU format or WAV format inaccordance with the user's preference, which is stored in memory.Preferably, the message is preferably in the AD/PCM format originallyand is converted in WAV, but the voice files may alternatively be storedand converted in file formats other than the ones disclosed, such asRealAudio (RA).

At step 174, the listing of all of the voice messages is then updated toinclude a listing of the newly received voice message and an anchor tothe voice message. For instance, the original voice message may bestored with filename “1.vox” and is converted into WAV and stored with afilename “1.wav.” The file “voicelist.html” which contains a list of allvoice messages would then have an anchor to the filename “1.wav” alongwith identifying information for the voice message, such as when themessage was received.

The listing of the voice messages may have additional anchors orreferences. For instance, each voice message may have an anchordirecting the MSDS 10 to a file which contains a short sampling of themessage. Thus, when the user selects this anchor, the user could receivethe first 5 seconds of the message or some other predefined number ofseconds. As with the listing of facsimile messages, the listing of thevoice messages also preferably has anchors to “Save” and “Delete.”

FIG. 9 illustrates a process for converting a data message into HTML. Atstep 180, the data file is retrieved from a database and at step 182 theHTML file containing the list of data messages is updated to include alisting of the newly received message along with identifyinginformation. For instance, the HTML file for the listing “datalist.html”would be updated to include an anchor to a data file “file1.1” and wouldhave information such as the time and date that the data wastransmitted, the size of the data file, as well as additionalidentifying information.

Because the MSDS 10 can receive messages of various types, such as afacsimile message, voice message or data messages the MSDS 10 must beable to determine the type of message that is being sent over the DIDtrunk 15. With reference to FIG. 10, when an incoming call is received,the MSDS 10 goes off hook at step 200 and stars to generate a ringingsound. If, at step 202, a facsimile calling tone is detected, then theringing sound is stopped at step 204 and the message is received as afacsimile message at step 206. Similarly, when a data modem calling toneis detected at step 208, the ringing sound is stopped at step 210 andthe message is identified as a data message at step 212.

If the MSDS 10 detects a DTMF digit at step 214, the ringing sound isstopped at step 216 and the MSDS 10 then determines which digit waspressed. When the digit is a “1,” as determined at step 218, the messageis identified as a facsimile message. The MSDS 10 will thereafterreceive and store the facsimile message in the manner described abovewith reference to FIG. 2. If the digit is identified as a “0” at step220, the call is identified as an owner's call and will be processed ina manner that will be described below with reference to FIG. 12. As willbe apparent, other digits may cause the MSDS 10 to take additionalsteps. If any other DTMF digit is pressed, at step 224 the MSDS 10activates a voice call system, which will be described in more detailbelow with reference to FIG. 11.

With step 226, the MSDS 10 will enter a loop continuously checking for afacsimile calling tone, a data modem calling tone, or for a DTMF digit.If after n rings none of these tones or digits has been detected, theringing sound is stopped at step 228 and the voice call system isactivated at step 224.

With reference to FIG. 1, when a fax calling tone or modem calling toneis not detected, the voice call system begins at step 230 by playing avoice greeting. If the greeting was not interrupted by a DTMF digit asdetermined at step 232, then the caller is prompted for the voicemessage at step 234 and, at step 236, the voice message is recorded andstored in memory. At step 238, the caller is prompted with a number ofoptions, such as listening to the message, saving the message, orre-recording the message. Since the selection of these options with DTMFdigits will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the details of thissubroutine or subroutines will not be described in further detail. Whenthe caller wishes to re-record the message, as determined at step 240,the caller is again prompted for a message at step 234. If the callerdoes not wish to re-record the message, the call is terminated at step242.

If the voice greeting is interrupted by a DTMF digit, as determined atstep 232, then the MSDS 10 ascertains which digit has been pressed. Atstep 244, if the digit is a “0,” the MSDS 10 detects that the call is anowner's call. When the digit is a “1,” the MSDS 10 is informed at step206 that the call carries a facsimile message. As discussed above withreference to FIG. 10, other DTMF digits may cause the MSDS 10 to takeadditional steps. If an invalid digit is pressed, by default at step 248the routine returns to step 234 of prompting the caller for a message.

It should be understood that the invention is not limited to thespecific interactive voice response system described with reference toFIG. 11. As discussed above, the invention may be responsive to DTMFdigits other than just a “0” and a “1.” Further variations oralterations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

With reference to FIG. 12, when the call is considered an owner's call,the caller is first prompted for the password at step 250. The passwordis received at step 252 and, if found correct at step 254, a set ofannouncements are played to the owner. These announcements wouldpreferably inform the owner of the number of new messages that have beenreceived, the number of saved messages, the number of facsimile message,the number of data messages, and the number of voice messages. Otherannouncements, of course, could also be made at this time.

At step 258, the owner then receives a recording of the owner's menuwith the appropriate DTMF digit for each option. For instance, the DTMFdigit “1” may be associated with playing a message, the DTMF digit “2”may be associated with an options menu, and the DTMF digit “*” may bassociated with returning to a previous menu or terminating the call ifno previous menu exists.

A DTMF digit is detected at step 260 and the appropriate action is takenbased upon the digit received. Thus, if the digit is determined to be a“1” at step 264, the owner can play a message at step 266. At step 266,the owner is preferably greeted with a menu giving the owner the optionsof playing or downloading new messages, saved messages, facsimilemessages, data messages, or voice messages. As should be apparent tothose skilled in the art, the owner may receive one or more menus atstep 266 and the owner may enter one or more DTMF digits in order toplay or download a particular message.

If, instead, the digit is determined to be a “2” at step 268, then theowner receives an options menu at step 270. With the options menu, theowner can enter or change certain parameters of the MSDS 10. Forinstance, the owner can change his or her password, the owner can changethe manner in which facsimile messages are displayed on the computer 32,the owner can change the image file format from GIF to another formatthe owner can select the file formats for the voice messages, as well asother options.

If the “*” DTMF digit is received, as determined at step 272, then theowner is returned to a previous menu. The “*” digit is also used toterminate the call when the owner has returned to the initial menu. The“*” digit is therefore universally recognized by the MSDS 10 throughoutthe various menus as a command for returning to a previous menu.

If the owner enters a DTMF digit that is not being used by the MSDS 10,the owner receives an indication at step 276 that the key is invalid andthe owner is then again provided with the owner's menu at step 258. Whenthe owner does not enter a DTMF digit while the owner's menu is beingplayed, as determined at step 260, the menu will be replayed n times.Once the menu has been replayed n times, as determined at step 262, thenthe call will be terminated at step 278.

If the password is incorrect, as determined at step 254, then the MSDS10 checks whether the user has made more than “n” attempts at step 280.If “n” attempts have not been made, then a password incorrect messagewill be displayed to the user at step 282 and the user will once againbe prompted for the password at step 250. When the user has made “n”attempts to enter the correct password, the MSDS 10 will play a failuremessage to the user at step 284 and then terminate the call at step 286.The specific number “n” may be three so that the call is terminatedafter three failed attempts.

The owner's menu may be responsive to an additional number of DTMFdigits and may be structured in other ways. For instance, separate DTMFdigits may direct the owner to the respective types of messages, such asa facsimile message, data message, or voice message. Also, separate DTMFdigits may direct the owner to a recording of new messages or to arecording of saved messages. Other variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

A more detailed diagram of the MSDS 10 is shown in FIG. 13. As shown inthe figure, a plurality of DID trunks 15 are received by an input/outputdevice 17 and are then sent to a central processor 3. The number of DIDtrunks 15 may be changed to any suitable number that would be necessaryto accommodate the anticipated number of telephone calls that may bemade to the MSDS 10. The input/output device 17 routes a call on one ofthe DID trunks 15 to an open port of the central processor 3 and ispreferably a DID Interface Box manufactured by Exacom.

The central processor 3 receives the calls on the DID trunks 15 andstores the messages in storage 11 in accordance with software 7.Preferably, a separate directory in storage 11 is established for eachuser having an account on the MSDS 10 so that all of the messages for asingle user will be stored in the same directory. It should beunderstood that the number of processors within the central processor 3is dependent upon the number of DID trunk 15. With a greater number ofDID trunks 15 capable of handling a larger number of telephone calls,the central processor 3 may actually comprise a number of computers. Theinput/output device 17 would then function to route incoming calls to anavailable computer within the central processor 3.

A more detailed diagram of the central processor 3 is shown in FIG. 14.The central processor 3 comprises a telephone line interface 21 for eachDID trunk 15. The telephone interface 21 provides the ringing sounds andother communication interfacing with the telephone lines. The signalsfrom the telephone interface 21 are routed to a pulse/tone decoder 23and to a digital signal processor (DSP) 25. The pulse/tone decoder 23detects the address signal off of an incoming call and sends the addresssignal onto a bus 29 to a microprocessor 27. The DSP performs thenecessary signal processing on the incoming calls and routes theprocessed signals to the microprocessor 27.

The microprocessor 27 will then read the address signal from thepulse/tone decoder 23 and store the message from the DSP 25 in anappropriate directory in storage 11. As discussed above, the centralprocessor 3 may comprise a number of computers or, more precisely, anumber of microprocessors 27 with each microprocessor 27 handling thecalls from a certain number, such as four, DID trunks 15. Themicroprocessor 27 may comprise any suitable microprocessor, but ispreferably at least a 486 PC.

In addition to handling incoming calls and storing the messages instorage 11, the central processor 3 also coordinates the interactivevoice response system of the MSDS 10. The software 7 would incorporatethe flowcharts of operations for receiving a message shown in FIG. 3,for detecting the type of message on an incoming call shown in FIG. 10,for receiving voice messages shown in FIG. 11, and for receiving anowner's call shown in FIG. 12. Based upon the above-referencedflowcharts and the respective descriptions, the production of thesoftware 7 is within the capability of one of ordinary skill in the artand will not be described in any further detail.

The Internet Server 5 is connected to the central processor 3, such asthrough a local area network, and also has access to the storage 11. TheInternet Server 5 performs a number of functions according to software9. For instance, the Internet Server 5 retrieves the data files storedin storage 11 by the central computer 3 and converts the files into theappropriate HTML files. The converted HTML files are then stored instorage 11 and may be downloaded to the computer 32 through the Internet30. The Internet Server 5 also handles the requests from the computer32, which might require the retrieval of files from the storage 11 andpossibly the generation of additional HTML files.

The software 9 for the Internet Server 5 would therefore incorporate theflowchart of operations for generating HTML files according to userpreferences shown in FIG. 4, for generating requested information from auser shown in FIG. 5, for converting facsimile messages into shown inFIG. 6, for converting voice messages into HTML shown in FIG. 8, and forconverting data messages into HTML shown in FIG. 9. Based upon theabove-referenced flowcharts and their respective descriptions, theproduction of the software 9 is within the capability of one of ordinaryskill in the art and need not be described in any further detail.

Nonetheless, a more detailed block diagram of the Internet Server 5 isshown in FIG. 15. The Internet Server 5 runs on a suitable operatingsystem (OS) 39, which is preferably Windows NT. The Internet Server 5has a number of application programs 31, such as the ones depicted inthe flowcharts discussed above, for communicating with the centralprocessor 3 and for accessing data from storage 11 and also from memory33.

The memory 33, inter alia, would contain the data indicating thepreferences of each user. Thus, for example, when a facsimile message inthe TIFF/F format is retrieved by the Internet Server 5, the InternetServer 5 would ascertain from the data in memory 33 the preferred optionof displaying the facsimile message and would generate the appropriateHTML files.

All interfacing with the Internet 30 is handled by the HTTPD 37, which,in the preferred embodiment, is “Enterprise Server” from NetScapeCommunications Corp. Any requests from users, such as a request for afile, would be handled by the HTTPD 37, transferred through the CGI 35,and then received by the application programs 31. The applicationprograms 31 would then take appropriate actions according to therequest, such as transferring the requested file through the CGI 35 tothe HTTPD 37 and then through the Internet 30 to the user's computer 32.

The Internet Server 5 may be connected to a paging system 13. Upon thearrival of a new message, in addition to sending an E-mail message tothe user's mailbox, the Internet Server 13 may also activate the pagingsystem 13 so that a pager 15 would be activated. In this manner, theuser could receive almost instantaneous notification that a message hasarrived.

The paging system 13 is preferably one that transmits alphanumericcharacters so that a message may be relayed to the user's pager 15. TheInternet Server 5 therefore comprises a signal processor 41 forgenerating signals recognized by the paging system 13 and a telephoneinterface 43. The signal processor 41 preferably receives informationfrom the application programs 31 and generates a paging message in apaging file format, such as XIO/TAP. The telephone interface 43 wouldinclude a modem, an automatic dialer, and other suitable components forcommunicating with the paging system 13.

The information from the application programs 31 may simply notify theuser of a message or may provide more detailed information. Forinstance, with a facsimile message, the information from the applicationprograms 31 may comprise CSI information identifying the sender'stelephone number. The user would therefore receive a message on thepager 15 informing the user that a facsimile message was received from aspecified telephone number. The amount and type of information that maybe sent to the user on the pager 15 may vary according to thecapabilities of the paging system 13 and may provide a greater or lesseramount of information than the examples provided.

The Internet Server 5 is not limited to the structure shown FIG. 15 butmay comprise additional components. For instance, the HTTPD 37 would belinked to the Internet 30 through some type of interface, such as amodem or router. The Internet Server 5 may be connected to the Internet30 through typical phone lines, ISDN lines, a T1 circuit, a T3 circuit,or in other ways with other technologies as will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art.

Furthermore, the Internet Server 5 need not be connected to the Internet30 but may be connected to other types of networks. For instance, theInternet Server 5, or more generally the network Server 5, could beconnected to a large private network, such as one established for alarge corporation. The network Server 5 would operate in the same mannerby converting messages into HTML files, receiving requests forinformation from users on the network, and by transmitting theinformation to the users.

Also, at least one interface circuit would be located between theInternet Server 5 and the central processor 3 in order to providecommunication capabilities between thee Internet Server 5 and thecentral processor 3. This network interface may be provided within boththe Internet Server 5 and the central processor 3 or within only one ofthe Internet Server 5 or central processor 3.

Examples of the Internet Server 5 software layers are shown in FIGS.16(A) and 16(B), with FIG. 16(A) representing the Internet Server 5 inan asynchronous mode of communication and FIG. 16(B) representing theInternet 5 in a synchronous mode of communication. As shown in thefigures, the software 9 for the Internet Server 5 may additionalcomprise an Internet Daemon for running the HTTPD 37. The software 9 forthe Internet Server 5 would also include TCP/IP or other transportlayers. Moreover, while the authentication is provided through the HTTPD37, the authentication of the user's password and ID may be supplementedor replaced with other ways of authentication.

The term synchronous has been used to refer to a mode of operation forthe MSDS 10 in which the all possible HTML files for a message aregenerated at the time the message is received. The HTML files may begenerated by the central processor 3 or by the application programs 31.When a request for information is then later received by the HTTPD 37,the information has already been generated and the HTTPD 37 only needsto retrieve the information from storage 11 and transmit the informationto the user's computer 32. With a synchronous mode of operation, the CGI35 would be unnecessary.

The MSDS 10 preferably operates according to an asynchronous mode ofoperation. In an asynchronous mode of operation, information requestedby the user may not be available and may have to be generated after therequest. The asynchronous mode of operation is preferred since fewerfiles are generated, thereby reducing the required amount of storage 11.Because the information requested by a user may not be available, someanchors cannot specify the filename, such as “2.html,” but will insteadcontain a command for the file. For instance, an anchor may be definedas<AHREF=“/faxweb/users/2496801/viewpage.cgi?FAX_NUM=1&PAGE=1&VIEW_MODE=FULL”>for causing the CGI 35 to run a viewpage program so that page 1 offacsimile message 1 will be displayed in a full size image. The CGI 35will generate the requested information when the information has notbeen generated, otherwise the CGI 35 will retrieve the information andrelay the information to the HTTPD 37 for transmission to the user.

With the invention, the MSDS 10 can reliably receive voice, facsimile,and data messages for a plurality of users and can receive more than onemessage for a user at a single time. The messages are stored by the MSDS10 and can be retrieved at the user's convenience at any time byconnecting to the Internet 30. The Internet World Wide Web 30 is aconstantly expanding network that permits the user to retrieve themessages at virtually any location in the world, Since the user onlyneeds to incur a local charge for connecting to the Internet 30, theuser can retrieve or review messages at a relatively low cost.

Even for the user's at the office or at home, the MSDS 10 provides agreat number of benefits. The user would not need a facsimile machine,voice mail system, or a machine dedicated for receiving data messages.The user also need not worry about losing part of the message orviolating the confidential nature of the messages. The user, of course,can still have a facsimile machine and dedicated computer for datamessages The MSDS 10, however, will permit the user to use the telephonecompany's “call forwarding” feature so that messages may be transferredto the MSDS 10 at the user's convenience, such as when the user is awayfrom the office.

The software 7 and software 9 are not limited to the exact forms of theflowcharts shown but may be varied to suit the particular hardwareembodied by the invention. The software may comprise additionalprocesses not shown or may combine one or more of the processes showninto a single process. Further the software 7 and 9 may be executed by asingle computer, such as a Silicon Graphics Workstation, or may beexecuted by a larger number of computers.

The facsimile messages preferably undergo signal processing so that theimages of the facsimile messages are converted from a two tone black orwhite image into an image with a varying gray scale. As is known in theart, a gray scale image of a facsimile message provides a better imagethan simply a black or white image of the message. The signal processingmay comprise any suitable standard contrast curve method of processing,such as anti-aliasing or a smoothing filter. The signal processing mayoccur concurrently with the conversion from TIFF/F to GIF and ispreferably performed for both full and reduced size images of thefacsimile messages.

Furthermore, the user may be provided with a greater or fewer number ofoptions in displaying or retrieving messages. The options are notlimited to the exact forms provided but may permit the user to review orretrieve the messages in other formats. The options may also permit auser to join two or messages into a single message, to delete portionsof a message, or to otherwise the contents of the messages. Also, thevarious menus provided to the user over the telephone may have a greaternumber of options and the MSDS 10 may accept responses that involve morethan just a single DTMF digit.

The specific DTMF digits disclosed in the various menus are onlyexamples and, as will be apparent to those skilled in the a other digitsmay be used in their place. For instance, a “9” may be used in the placeof a “*” in order to exit the menu or to return to a previous menu.Also, the DTMF digits may be changed in accordance with the user'spersonal convention. If the user had a previous voice mail system, theuser could customize the commands to correspond with the commands usedin the previous system in order to provide a smooth transition to theMSDS 10.

The MSDS 10 may restrict a user to only certain types of messages. Forinstance, a user may want the MSDS 10 to store only facsimile messagesin order to reduce costs of using the MSDS 10. In such a situation, theMSDS 10 would perform an additional step of checking that the type ofmessage received for a user is a type of message that the MSDS 10 isauthorized to receive on the user's behalf. When the message is anunauthorized type of message, the MSDS 10 may ignore the messageentirely or the MSDS 10 may inform the user that someone attempted tosend a message to the MSDS 10.

Moreover, the MSDS 10 has been described as having the central processor3 for handling incoming calls and the Internet Server to for interfacingwith the Internet 30. The invention may be practiced in various waysother than with two separate processors. For instance, the centralprocessor 3 and the Internet Server 5 may comprise a single computer orworkstation for handling the incoming calls and for Interfacing with theInternet 30. The MSDS 10 may convert the messages into HTML files priorto storing the messages. Also, the central processor 3 may communicatewith the paging system 13 instead of the Internet Server 5.Additionally, as discussed above, the central processor 3 may comprise anumber of microprocessors 27 for handling a large number of DID trunks.

The invention has been described as converting the messages into HTMLand transmitting the HTML files over the Internet 30 to the computer 32.The HTML format, however, is only the currently preferred format forexchanging information on the Internet 30 and is actually only one typeof a Standard Generalized Mark-Up Language. The invention is thereforenot limited to the HTML format but may be practiced with any type ofmixed media page layout language that can be used to exchangeinformation on the Internet 30.

SGML is not limited to any specific standard but encompasses numerousdialects and variations in languages. One example of an SGML dialect isvirtual reality mark-up language (VRML) which is used to deliver threedimensional images through the Internet. As another example, thecomputer 32 for accessing the MSDS 10 through the Internet 30 maycomprise a handheld device, A handheld device is generally characterizedby a small display size, limited input capabilities, limited bandwidth,and limited resources, such as limited amount of memory, processingpower, or permanent storage. In view of these limited capabilities, ahandheld device markup language (HDML) has been proposed to provide easyaccess to the Internet 30 for handheld devices. The SGML informationtransmitted by the MSDS 10 to the computer 32 may therefore compriseHDML information suitable for a handheld device or may comprise VRML.

As another example, Extensible Mark-Up Language (XML) is an abbreviatedversion of SGML, which makes it easier to define document types andmakes it easier for programmers to write programs to handle them. XMLomits some more complex and some less-used parts of the standard SGML inreturn for the benefits of being easier to write applications for,easier to understand, and more suited to delivery and inter-operabilityover the Web. Because XML is nonetheless a dialect of SGML, the MSDS 10therefore encompasses the translation of facsimile, voice, and datamessages into XML, including all of its dialects and variations, and thedelivery of these messages to computers 32 through the Internet 30.

As a further example, the MSDS 10 encompasses the use of “dynamic HTML.”“Dynamic HTML” is a term that has been used to describe the combinationof HTML, style sheets, and scripts that allows documents to be animated.The Document Object Model (DOM) is a platform-neutral and languageneutral interface allowing dynamic access and updating of content,structure, and style of documents. The MSDS 10 may therefore include theuse of the DOM and dynamic HTML to deliver dynamic content to thecomputer 32 through the Internet 30.

The MSDS 10 is also not limited to any particular version or standard ofHTTP and thus not to any particular hyper-text transfer protocol daemon37. In general, HTTP is a data access protocol run over TCP and is thebasis of the World Wide Web. HTTP began as a generic request-responseprotocol, designed to accommodate a variety of applications ranging fromdocument exchange and management to searching and forms processing.Through the development of HTTP, the request for extensions and newfeatures to HTTP has exploded; such extensions range from caching,distributed authoring and content negotiation to various remoteprocedure call mechanisms. By not having a modularized architecture, theprice of new features has been an overly complex and incomprehensibleprotocol. For instance, a Protocol Extension Protocol (PEP) is anextension mechanism for HTTP designed to address the tension betweenprivate agreement and public specification and to accommodate extensionof HTTP clients and servers by software components. MultiplexingProtocol (MUX) is another extension that introduces asynchronousmassaging support at a layer below HTTP. As a result of these drawbacksof HTTP, a new version of HTTP, namely HTTP-NG, has been proposed andits purpose is to provide a new architecture for the HTTP protocol basedon a simple, extensible distributed object-oriented model. HTTP-NG, forinstance, provides support for commercial transactions includingenhanced security and support for on-line payments. Another version ofHTTP, namely S-HTTP, provides secure massaging. The MSDS 10 and theHTTPD 37 may incorporate these versions or other versions of HTTP.

In addition to different versions of HTTP, the HTTPD 37 of the MSDS 10may operate with other implementations of HTTP. For instance, the W3C'shas an implementation of HTTP called “Jigsaw.” Jigsaw is an HTTP serverentirely written in Java and provides benefits in terms of portability,extensibility, and efficiency. The MSDS 10 may employ Jigsaw or otherimplementations of HTTP.

With regard to the transmission of massages to the user's computer 32,the MSDS 10 permits the user to sample the voice message or to previewthe facsimile message without requiring the MSDS 10 to transmit theentire message to the computer 32. This sampling ability is asignificant benefit since the transmission of the entire message wouldfrequently tie up the computer 32 for a rather long period of time.Thus, with the preview or sample feature, the user can determine whetherthe user needs the message transmitted to the computer 32.

If the user does decide that the entire message needs to be transmitted,as stated above, the user's computer 32 might be receiving the messagefor a relatively long period of time. After the entire message has beenreceived, the user then has the options of viewing, listening,retrieving, or saving the message. As an alternative, the user'scomputer may instead indicate the contents of the message to the user asthe message is being received.

For instance, with a voice message, the user's computer 32 could sendthe message to an audio speaker as the message is being received. Inthis manner, the message would be played in real time and the user wouldnot need to wait until the entire message is received before listeningto the message. In order to play the messages in real time, the messagesare preferably in the RealAudio (RA) format, which the user can selectas e preferred file format for voice messages.

In operation, the MSDS 10 would transmit an HTML file containing an RAfile. If the user selects the RA file with the browser on the computer32, the browser will activate a program for use with RA flies. Theoperations and functioning of this program will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art and will be available as a separate software packageor will be incorporated within a browser program. The RA program willrequest the RA data file containing the message from the MSDS 10 and, asthe RA file is being received at the computer 32, this program will playthe message in real time.

The MSDS 10 and the user's computer 32 could also be arranged so thateach page or even line of a facsimile message could be displayed as thecomputer 32 receives the facsimile message. Further, although thetransmission of a data message is relatively fast in comparison to avoice or facsimile message, the computer 32 could also be programmed topermit access to the data message as the message is being received.

The invention has been described as storing and transmitting voicemessages. It should be understood that the voice message would probablybe the most often type of audio message stored at the MSDS 10. Theinvention, however, may be used with any type of audio message and is inno way limited to just voice messages.

According to another aspect of the invention, the MSDS 10 may be used asa file repository serving as an archive for a particular user or groupof users. As described above, the MSDS 10 may maintain a list of allmessages for a particular user which is displayed to the user when theuser access his or her mailbox. The MSDS 10 may store all messages,whether they are voice, facsimile, or data, for a user in the databaseindefinitely. The MSDS 10 may therefore be relied upon by a user toestablish the authenticity of a message and the existence or absence ofa particular message. Through the MSDS 10, a user can therefore maintainan accurate record of all received email messages, facsimile messages,and data transfers.

In addition to serving as a file depository, the MSDS to may alsofunction as a document management tool. As described above withreference to FIG. 2, when the MSDS 10 receives a message, the MSDS 10updates a database with information on the message. This informationincludes the type of message, whether it is a facsimile message, voicemessage, or data message, the time and date at which the message wasreceived, the size of the file, such as in bytes, the telephone numberof the caller leaving the message, as well as other information, such asthe number of pages of a facsimile message. Because the telephone numbercalled is unique for each user, the information also includes theintended recipient of the message.

An example of a data entry 300 in storage 11 for a message is shown inFIG. 17. The data entry 300 represents the entry for just a singlemessage with each message having a separate data entry 300. Preferably,the data entries 300 are stored in a relational database and may besearched through a structured query language (SQL).

As shown in FIG. 17, the data field 300 for a message may comprisenumerous data fields for describing the message. One of these datafields may comprise a field 301 for indicating the name of the personreceiving the message. As will be appreciated by those skilled in theart, the person may be identified in numerous ways, such as by a portionof the person's name or by a unique number. Another field 302 in thedata entry 300 indicates the type of the document, such as whether thedocument is a facsimile message, voice message, or data transfer, andfields 303 and 304 respectively indicate the date and time that themessage was received by the MSDS 10. The telephone number of the calleris indicated in field 305 while the size of the message, which may bemeasured in bytes, is indicated in field 306 and the number of pages ofthe message is indicated in field 307. A document number for uniquelyidentifying the message is indicated in field 308. As discussed above,the files or messages received for a particular user may be numberedsequentially in the order that they are received by the MSDS 10. Thefiles and messages, however, may be numbered or identified in otherways, such as by a combination of numbers with an identifier for thedate when the message was received. Also, the documents number oridentifier may be unique for each file or message directed to a user or,alternatively, may be unique for each file or message directed to aplurality of users, which is advantageous when the MSDS 10 tracksdocuments for an entire company or other group of users.

In addition to fields 301 to 308, the data entry 300 for a message orfile may have other fields 309 for describing or documenting the messageor file. The other fields 309, for instance, may be used to identify thetype of storage that a message should receive. The messages or files mayhave different lengths of time that the message is stored before beingautomatically deleted. The type of storage, such as whether the fulltext of the message is stored, may also be indicated by field 309.Another example of a trait that may be contained within the other field309 is security. At times, a user may desire and may be granted accessto another person's mailbox, such when the MSDS 10 trucks documents foran entire company. By designating a message or file as secure in field309, a user may restrict or deny access to that message or file by otherusers. The other fields 309 may also be used by a user to customize theMSDS 10 according to his or her own desires. For instance, if the useris a company, the company may want to classify messages according to thedivision at which the message is directed, such as one code formarketing, one for sales, one for engineering, and one for legal.

As another example of a use of one of the other fields 309, a user caninput notes in the other field 309. When a user initially receives adata entry 300, the entry 300, for instance, may include data in allfields 301 to 308 except field 309, which has been left blank. The usercan then input his or her notes in the other field. An initial dataentry 300 may include the field 305 for the caller's telephone numberwhich contains the digits for the calling number. The user, however, maynot readily recognize the caller from just reading the telephone numberlisted in field 305. To more clearly indicate the caller, the user mayinput notes in field 309 to identify the caller's name. Alternatively,the notes in field 309 may reflect part or all of the contents of themessage. The user may receive a large document or message and may inputa brief description of the document or message in the field 309. Asanother example, the recipient of the message may read the message ordocument and discover that the caller is requesting some service orgoods from the recipient, such as a request for certain documents ordelivery of a certain quantity of goods. The recipient may read thedocument or message and place somes notes in the field 309 to indicatethe type of follow-up service or action that needs to be taken. Anassistant to the recipient can then view the notes in field 309 and takeappropriate steps to ensure that the requested service or goods aredelivered. If the data entry is security protected, one of the otherfields 309, as discussed above, may grant the assistant limited accessto just the field 309 or may grant more expansive access whereby theassistant can view fields 301 to 309 as well as the actual document ormessage. The fields 309 may serve various other purposes, as will beapparent is to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 18 illustrates a process 320 for using the MSDS 10 for documentmanagement purposes. With reference to FIG. 18, a user sends a searchrequest to the MSDS 10 for a particular document or set of documents atstep 321. The user may issue this request with the computer 32 byclicking on a link, such as a link to “Search Documents,” which may bepresented to the user by the MSDS 10 after the user has been grantedaccesses to his or her mailbox at step 72 shown in FIG. 3. The MSDS 10may present the user with the option to search the document archives atother times, such as when the user first attempts to access the mailboxat step 62, or when the URL received by the HTTPD 37 from computer 32points toward the document archives.

In response to this request, the HTTPD 37 sends the user a search queryform at step 322 to allow the user to define a desired search. Anexample of a search query form is shown in FIG. 19. The search queryform may include an entry for each of the data fields 301 to 309 in thedata entry 300. For instance, the user may input one or more names for arecipient and have the MSDS 10 search for all messages or files directedto just those recipients. The user may also indicate the type ofdocument, such as whether it is a facsimile, voice message or data file.The search query form also has entries for the date or time, whichpreferably accept ranges of times and dates, and an entry for thetelephone number of the caller to the MSDS 10. The search query form mayalso include an entry for the size of the file or for the number ofpages, which is relevant if the message is a facsimile message. Thesearch query form may also include an entry for the document number,which may accept a range of document numbers, and also an entry foranother field.

At step 323, the user enters the search parameters in the search queryform with computer 32 and returns the information to the MSDS 10 throughthe Internet 30. The user may define the search about any one data fieldor may define the search about a combination of two or more data fields.For instance, as reflected in the completed search query form shown inFIG. 20, a user may define a search by designating the document type asa facsimile and the calling number as (404) 249-6801. Once the user hasfinished defining the search, the user then selects the “SEARCH” linkshown at the bottom of the screen whereby the user's computer 32 wouldsend the completed search query form through the Internet 30 to theHTTPD 37 of the MSDS 10.

At step 324, the HTTPD 37 receives the completed search query form and,through CGI 35, invokes one or more of the application programs 31 forperforming the desired search for any files or messages falling withinthe parameters of the search. The results of the search are passed fromthe application programs 31 through the CGI 35 to the HTTPD 37 and, atstep 325, are returned to the user through the Internet 37. Preferably,the MSDS 10 returns the search results in the form of a listing of allfiles or messages contained within the search parameters, although theMSDS 10 may return the results in other ways.

An example of the search results of the query shown in FIG. 20 is shownin FIG. 21. As discussed above, the parameters of the search were allfacsimile messages from telephone is number (404) 249-6081. Withreference to FIG. 21, this query resulted in three messages beingdiscovered. The first document has a document number 11 and is describedas being a facsimile from the designated telephone number to Jane Doe onMay 31, 1995, and consists of three pages. This first-listed document isan example of the facsimile shown in FIG. 9. The other two documentsrespectively correspond to document numbers 243 and 1,002 and are alsofrom the designated telephone number.

At step 326, the user selects the desired file or message from thelisting of messages and files. For instance, by clicking on the firstlisted document, namely document number 11, the computer 32 sends arequest to the MSDS 10 for a viewing of that document and, in response,the MSDS 10 provides a viewing of the document according to the userdefined preferences. As described above, the user may receive a reducedsize image of the first page, a full size image of the first page,reduced size images of all pages, or full size images of all pages ofthe facsimile message. Thus, if the user selected the fourth displayoption as the user defined preference, the MSDS 10 would return an imageof the first page of the facsimile, such as the one depicted in FIG. 7.

At step 326, the user may also have the MSDS 10 save the search result.For instance, as shown in FIG. 21, the user may input the name of“CHARLES R. BOBO FACSIMILES” as the name for the search. By clicking onthe “SAVE SEARCH AS” link, the name of the search is provided from thecomputer 32 to the MSDS 10. At the MSDS 10, the HTTPD 37 transfers theinformation from the computer 32 to the CGI 35 and the CGI 35 invokes anapplication program 31 to store the results of the search in storage 11under the designated name. The invoked application program 31 preferablydoes not store the contents of all messages but rather stores a listingof the search results in the storage 11.

The results of a search may be stored in storage 11 as either a closedsearch or an open search. If the MSDS 10 saves the results of a searchas an open search, then the files or messages in that named search maybe updated with recent files or messages falling within the particularsearch parameters for the search. On the other hand, a closed search isone in which the files or messages in the named search are limited tothose existing at the time of the search. For example, if the MSDS 10saved the search results shown in FIG. 21 as a closed search, then anyretrieval of the “CHARLES R. BOBO FACSIMILES” would result in only thethree listed documents. If, on the other hand, the search named as the“CHARLES R. BOBO FACSIMILES,” was saved by the MSDS 10 as an opensearch, then the MSDS 10 would reactivate the search query shown in FIG.20 in response to a request by the computer 32 for that search in orderto obtain all facsimile messages from that particular telephone number,including those received after the initial saving of the search results.

With reference to FIG. 19, rather than defining a new search, the usermay click on the “STORED SEARCHES” link in order to receive the resultsof a previously performed search. For example, by clicking on this link,the MSDS 10 may return a listing of searches stored for that particularuser, such as the searches shown in FIG. 22. As shown in this figure,the “CHARLES R. BOBO FACSIMILES” is included within the list of storedsearches. If the user then selected the “CHARLES R. BOBO FACSIMILES”search, the user may then be presented with the listing of facsimilesshown in FIG. 21, possibly including recent additions to the searchgroup.

With reference to FIG. 19, the MSDS 10 may also provide a user with alink to “RECENT FILES” at step 322. By selecting this link, the MSDS 10may return a listing of all facsimile, voice, and data messages receivedwith a particular period of time, such as the last month. By placing the“RECENT FILES” link on the search query form rather than in the listingof “STORED SEARCHES,” the user can quickly turn to the most recent filesand messages. The search query form may contain other such easy-accesslinks, such as a link to the last search performed by the MSDS 10 onbehalf of the user.

The messages or files received by the MSDS 10 need not arrive from athird party. In other words, the MSDS 10 may be used as a filerepository or as a file manager for documents generated by the useritself. The user may call the designated telephone number for receivingmessages and transmit voice messages, data messages, or facsimilemessages and have the MSDS 10 document the receipt and content of thesemessages. A user may easily use a facsimile machine as a scanner forentering documents into the storage 11 of the MSDS 10.

The MSDS 10 may have applications in addition to those discussed-abovewith regard to serving as a message deliverer, file repository, and filemanager. For instance, the MSDS 10 may perform some additionalprocessing on the incoming calls prior to forwarding them to the user.For voice messages, this processing may involve transcribing the messageand then returning the transcribed messages to the user. The MSDS 10 maytherefore be viewed as offering secretarial assistance which may beinvaluable to small companies or individuals who cannot afford asecretary or even to larger businesses who may need some over-flowassistance. The transcription may be provided by individuals located inany part of the world or may be performed automatically by aspeech-to-text recognition software, such as VoiceType from IBM.

Another type of processing that the MSDS 10 may provide is translationservices. The incoming call, whether it is a voice, facsimile, or datamessage, can be converted into SGML and then forwarded first to atranslator. Given the reach of the Internet the translator may belocated virtually anywhere in the world and can return the translateddocument via the Internet to the MSDS 10. The MSDS 10 can notify theuser that the translation has been completed through email, voice mail,pager, facsimile, or in other ways. The user would then connect to theInternet and retrieve the translated document. The translation servicesof the MSDS 10 may also provide transcription of the message, such aswith speech-to-text recognition software.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the inventionhave been presented only for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in light of the above teaching.

The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain theprinciples of the invention and their practical application so as toenable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention and variousembodiments and with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theInvention only be limited by the claims appended hereto.

1. A method, comprising: storing a mark-up language file in a storagearea accessible by a network server; receiving at the network server oneor more user-selected preferences from a user's client device;customizing the mark-up language file according to the one or moreuser-selected preferences; and transmitting the mark-up language filefrom the network servers to the user's client device, via a packetswitched data network, using an Internet protocol.
 2. The method as setforth in claim 1, further comprising transmitting a notification to theuser's client device, the notification serving to notify the user of theavailability of the mark-up language file.
 3. The method as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the one or more user-selected preferences include atleast one user-selected preference regarding how information containedin the mark-up language file is to be displayed on a display associatedwith the user's client device.
 4. The method as set forth in claim 1,wherein the one or more user-selected preferences include at least oneuser-selected preference regarding an amount of information to beincluded in the mark-up language file.
 5. The method as set forth inclaim 1, wherein the one or more user-selected preferences include atleast one user-selected preference regarding the amount of informationto be displayed on a display associated with the user's client device.6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the user's client devicegenerates a user interface in response to the mark-up language file. 7.The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the customizing the mark-uplanguage file has the effect of customizing the user interface accordingto the one or more user-selected preferences.
 8. The method as set forthin claim 7, wherein the customizing the mark-up language file includesselectively varying the amount of information displayed in the userinterface according to the one or more user-selected preferences.
 9. Themethod as set forth in claim 7, wherein the customizing the mark-uplanguage file includes selectively varying the type of informationdisplayed in the user interface according to the one or moreuser-selected preferences.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 2,wherein the notification comprises an e-mail message.
 11. The method asset forth in claim 2, wherein the notification comprises a wirelessnotification.
 12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the packetswitched data network comprises the Internet.
 13. The method as setforth in claim 1, wherein the Internet protocol comprises a hyper-texttransfer protocol (HTTP).
 14. The method as set forth in claim 1,wherein the network sever comprises an HTTP server and the user's clientdevice comprises an HTTP client.
 15. The method as set forth in claim 1,wherein the user's client device executes an application program thatgenerates a user interface in response to the mark-up language file. 16.The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the application programcomprises a browser.
 17. The method as set forth in claim 15, whereinthe application program comprises a web browser.
 18. The method as setforth in claim 15, wherein the customizing the mark-up language fileincludes selectively varying the amount of information displayed in theuser interface according to the one or more user-selected preferences.19. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the customizing themark-up language file includes selectively varying the type ofinformation displayed in the user interface according to the one or moreuser-selected preferences.
 20. The method as set forth in claim 1,wherein the mark-up language file includes new information that has oilybecome available subsequent to a prior notification.
 21. The method asset forth in claim 1, wherein the mark-up language file includes areduced size image that the user can select to produce a full-sizeimage.
 22. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mark-uplanguage file includes a thumbnail image that the user can select toproduce a full-size image.
 23. The method as set forth in claim 1,wherein the mark-up language file includes both graphical and textualinformation.
 24. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mark-uplanguage file conforms with a dialect of a standardized generalizedmark-up language (SGML).
 25. The method as set forth in claim 1, whereinthe mark-up language file comprises a standardized generalized mark-uplanguage (SGML) file.
 26. The method as set forth in claim 1, whereinthe network server executes an HTTP daemon (HTTP) which performs thetransmitting.
 27. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein theInternet protocol comprises a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP), andwherein the network server executes an HTTP daemon (HTTPD) which handlesHTTP interactions between the networks server and the user's clientdevice.
 28. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the Internetprotocol comprises a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP); the networkserver executes an HTTP daemon (HTTPD); the user's client deviceexecutes a browser; and wherein the HTTPD performs the transmitting bytransmitting the mark-up language file to the browser, using the HTTP.29. The method as set forth in claim 28, wherein the browser comprises ahyper-text browser.
 30. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein themark-up language file comprises an HTML file.
 31. The method as setforth in claim 1, wherein the network server executes an applicationprogram and an HTTP daemon (HTTPD), and wherein the HTTPD performs thetransmitting and processing of user access requests.
 32. The method asset forth in claim 31, wherein the Internet protocol comprises ahyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP), the user's client device executes ahyper-text browser, and the HTTPD performs the transmitting bytransmitting the mark-up language file to the hyper-text browser, usingthe HTTP.
 33. The method as set forth in claim 32, wherein the HTTPDestablishes an HTTP application layer session between the applicationprogram executing on the network server and the hyper-text browserexecuting on the user's client device.
 34. The method as set forth inclaim 14, further comprising establishing an HTTP connection between theHTTP server and the HTTP client, wherein the transmitting is executedover the HTTP connection.
 35. The method as set forth in claim 15,wherein the user interface is customized according to one or moreuser-selected preferences according to commands contained in the mark-uplanguage file.
 36. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein themark-up language file includes information personal to the user.
 37. Themethod as set forth in claim 1, wherein the mark-up language fileincludes user-specific information.
 38. The method as set forth in claim1, wherein the packet switched data network comprises a private network.39. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the user's client devicecomprises a personal computer that includes a display and a keyboard.40. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the user's client devicecomprises a handheld device.
 41. The method as set forth in claim 1,wherein the user's client device executes a hyper-text browser whichdisplays at least part of the content of the mark-up language file inaccordance with commands contained in the mark-up language file.
 42. Themethod as set forth in claim 1, wherein a location of the mark-uplanguage file in the storage area is identified by a URL.
 43. The methodas set forth in claim 1, wherein the user's client device comprises acomputer.
 44. The method as set forth in claim 42, wherein the user'sclient device executes an application program that enables the user todownload the mark-up language file using the URL.
 45. The method as setforth in claim 37, wherein the user-specific information contained inthe mark-up language file comprises information pertaining to one ormore messages directed to the user as an intended recipient.
 46. Themethod as set forth in claim 45, wherein the one or more messagescomprise voice mail messages.
 47. The method as set forth in claim 45,wherein the one or more messages comprise facsimile messages.
 48. Themethod as set forth in claim 45, wherein the one or more messagescomprise data messages.
 49. A method, comprising: a network serverreceiving one or more user-selected preferences from a user's clientdevice; creating a mark-up language file customized according to the oneor more user-selected preferences; and transmitting the mark-up languagefile from the network server to the user's client device, via a packetswitched data network, using an Internet protocol.
 50. The method as setforth in claim 49, further comprising transmitting a notification to theuser's client device, the notification serving to notify the user of theavailability of the mark-up language file.
 51. The method as set forthin claim 49, wherein the one or more user-selected preferences includeat least one user-selected preference regarding how informationcontained in the mark-up language file is to be displayed on a displayassociated with the user's client device.
 52. The method as set forth inclaim 49, wherein the one or more user-selected preferences include atleast one user-selected preference regarding an amount of information tobe included in the mark-up language file.
 53. The method as set forth inclaim 49, wherein the one or more user-selected preferences include atleast one user-selected preference regarding the amount of informationto be displayed on a display associated with the user's client device.54. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the user's clientdevice generates a user interface in response to the mark-up languagefile.
 55. The method as set forth in claim 54, wherein the creating themark-up language file includes customizing the user interface accordingto the one or more user-selected preferences.
 56. The method as setforth in claim 54, wherein the creating, the mark-up language fileincludes selectively varying the amount of information that will bedisplayed in the user interface, according to the one or moreuser-selected preferences.
 57. The method as set forth in claim 54,wherein the creating the mark-up language file includes selectivelyvarying the type of information that will be displayed in the userinterface, according to the one or more user-selected preferences. 58.The method as set forth in claim 50, wherein the notification comprisesan e-mail message.
 59. The method as set forth in claim 50, wherein thenotification comprises a wireless notification.
 60. The method as setforth in claim 49, wherein the packet switched data network comprisesthe Internet.
 61. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein theInternet protocol comprises a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP). 62.The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the network servercomprises an HTTP server and the user's client device comprises an HTTPclient.
 63. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the user'sclient device executes an application program that generates a userinterface in response to the mark-up language file.
 64. The method asset forth in claim 63, wherein the application program comprises abrowser.
 65. The method as set forth in claim 63, wherein theapplication program comprises a web browser.
 66. The method as set forthin claim 63, wherein the creating the mark-up language file includesselectively varying the amount of information that will be displayed inthe user interface, according to the one or more user-selectedpreferences.
 67. The method as set forth in claim 63, wherein thecreating the mark-up language file includes selectively varying the typeof information that will be displayed in the user interface, accordingto the one or more user-selected preferences.
 68. The method as setforth in claim 49, wherein the mark-up language file includes newinformation that has only become available subsequent to a priornotification.
 69. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein themark-up language file includes a reduced size image that the user canselect to produce a full-size image.
 70. The method as set forth inclaim 49, wherein the mark-up language file includes a thumbnail imagethat the user can select to produce a full-size image.
 71. The method asset forth in claim 49, wherein the mark-up language file includes bothgraphical and textual information.
 72. The method as set forth in claim49, wherein the mark-up language file conforms with a dialect of astandardized generalized mark-up language (SGML).
 73. The method as setforth in claim 49, wherein the mark-up language file comprises astandardized generalized mark-up language (SGML) file.
 74. The method asset forth in claim 49, wherein the network server executes an HTTPdaemon (HTTPD) which performs the transmitting.
 75. The method as setforth in claim 49, wherein the Internet protocol comprises a hyper-texttransfer protocol (HTTP), and wherein the network server executes anHTTP daemon (HTTPD) which handles HTTP interactions between the networkserver and the user's client device.
 76. The method as set forth inclaim 49, wherein: the Internet protocol comprises a hyper-text transferprotocol (HTTP); the networks server executes an HTTP daemon (HTTPD);the user's client device executes a browser; and wherein the HTTPDperforms the transmitting by transmitting the mark-up language file tothe browser, using the HTTP.
 77. The method as set forth in claim 76,wherein the browser comprises a hyper-text browser.
 78. The method asset forth in claim 49, wherein the mark-up language file comprises anHTML file.
 79. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the networkserver executes an application program and an HTTP daemon (HTTPD), andwherein the HTTPD performs the transmitting and processing of useraccess requests.
 80. The method as set forth in claim 79, wherein theInternet protocol comprises a hyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP), theuser's client device executes a hyper-text browser, and the HTTPDperforms the transmitting by transmitting the mark-up language file tothe hyper-text browser, using the HTTP.
 81. The method as set forth inclaim 80, wherein the HTTPD establishes an HTTP application layersession between the application program executing on the network serverand the hyper-text browser executing on the user's client device. 82.The method as set forth in claim 62, further comprising, establishing anHTTP connection between the HTTP server and the HTTP client, wherein thetransmitting is executed over the HTTP connection.
 83. The method as setforth in claim 63, wherein the user interface is customized according toone or more user-selected preferences according to commands contained inthe mark-up language file.
 84. The method as set forth in claim 49,wherein the mark-up language file includes information personal to theuser.
 85. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein the mark-uplanguage tile includes user-specific information.
 86. The method as setforth in claim 49, wherein the packet switched data network comprises aprivate network.
 87. The method as set forth in claim 49, wherein theuser's client device comprises a personal computer that includes adisplay and a keyboard.
 88. The method as set forth in claim 49, whereinthe user's client device comprises a handheld device.
 89. The method asset forth in claim 49, wherein the user's client device executes ahyper-text browser which displays at least part of the content of themark-up language file in accordance with commands contained in themark-up language file.
 90. The method as set forth in claim 49, whereinthe mark-up language file is stored in a storage location associatedwith the network server, and wherein the storage location of the mark-uplanguage file is identified by a URL.
 91. The method as set forth inclaim 49, wherein the user's client device comprises a computer.
 92. Themethod as set forth in claim 90, wherein the user's client deviceexecutes an application program that enables the user to download themark-up language file using the URL.
 93. The method as set forth inclaim 85, wherein the user-specific information contained in the mark-uplanguage file comprises information pertaining to one or more messagesdirected to the user as an intended recipient.
 94. The method as setforth in claim 93, wherein the one or more messages comprise voice mailmessages.
 95. The method as set forth in claim 93, wherein the one ormore messages comprise facsimile messages.
 96. The method as set forthin claim 93, wherein the one or more messages comprise data messages.97. A method, comprising: a network server receiving one or moreuser-selected preferences from a user's client device; creating amark-up language file customized according to the one or moreuser-selected preferences, wherein an amount of information included inthe mark-up language file is selectively varied according to the one ormore user-selected preferences; and transmitting the mark-up languagefile from the network server to the user's client device, via a packetswitched data network, using an Internet protocol.
 98. The method as setforth in claim 97, wherein the mark-up language file conforms with adialect of a standardized generalized mark-up language (SGML).
 99. Themethod as set forth in claim 97, wherein the mark-up language filecomprises a standardized generalized mark-up language (SGML) file. 100.The method as set forth in claim 97, wherein the network server executesan HTTP daemon (HTTPD) which performs the transmitting.
 101. The methodas set forth in claim 97, wherein the Internet protocol comprises ahyper-text transfer protocol (HTTP) and wherein the network serverexecutes an HTTP daemon (HTTPD) which handles HTTP interactions betweenthe network server and the user's client device.
 102. The method as setforth in claim 97, wherein: the Internet protocol comprises a hyper-texttransfer protocol (HTTP); the networks server executes an HTTP daemon(HTTPD); the user's client device executes a browser; and wherein theHTTPD performs the transmitting by transmitting the mark-up languagefile to the browser, using the HTTP.
 103. The method as set forth inclaim 102, wherein the browser comprises a hyper-text browser.
 104. Themethod as set forth in claim 97, wherein the mark-up language filecomprises an HTML file.
 105. The method as set forth in claim 97,wherein the network server executes an application program and an HTTPdaemon (HTTPD), and wherein the HTTPD performs the transmitting andprocessing of user access requests.
 106. The method as set forth inclaim 97, wherein the Internet protocol comprises a hyper-text transferprotocol (HTTP), the user's client device executes a hyper-text browser,and the HTTPD performs the transmitting by transmitting the mark-uplanguage file to the hyper-text browser, using the HTTP.
 107. The methodas set forth in claim 106, wherein the HTTPD establishes an HTTPapplication layer session between the application program executing onthe network server and the hyper-text browser executing on the user'sclient device.
 108. The method as set forth in claim 97, furthercomprising, establishing and HTTP connection between the HTTP server andthe HTTP client, wherein the transmitting is executed over the HTTPconnection.
 109. The method as set forth in claim 97, wherein the packetswitched data network comprises a private network.
 110. The method asset forth in claim 97, wherein the packet switched data networkcomprises the Internet.
 111. The method as set forth in claim 97,wherein the user's client device comprises a personal computer thatincludes a display and a keyboard.
 112. The method as set forth in claim97, wherein the user's client device comprises a handheld device. 113.The method as set forth in claim 97, wherein the user's client deviceexecutes a hyper-text browser which displays at least part of thecontent of the mark-up language file in accordance with commandscontained in the mark-up language file.
 114. The method as set forth inclaim 97, wherein the mark-up language file is stored in a storagelocation associated with the network server, and wherein the storagelocation of the mark-up language file is identified by a URL.
 115. Themethod as set forth in claim 97, wherein the user's client devicecomprises a computer.
 116. The method as set forth in claim 114, whereinthe user's client device executes an application program that enablesthe user to download the mark-up language file using the URL.
 117. Themethod as set forth in claim 85, wherein the mark-up language fileincludes user-specific information.
 118. The method as set forth inclaim 117, wherein the user-specific information contained in themark-up language file comprises information pertaining to one or moremessages directed to the user as an intended recipient.
 119. The methodas set forth in claim 118, wherein the one or more messages comprisevoice mail messages.
 120. The method as set forth in claim 118, whereinthe one or more messages comprise facsimile messages.
 121. The method asset forth in claim 118, wherein the one or more messages comprise datamessages.
 122. The method as set forth in claim 97, wherein theinformation comprises a list, and the amount of information correspondsto a number of items in the list.
 123. The method as set forth in claim122, wherein the items in the list correspond to messages.